Switch-in-a-Cell Electrifies Life
December 18, 2018 | Rice UniversityEstimated reading time: 3 minutes
Scientists at Rice University have developed synthetic protein switches to control the flow of electrons.
The proof-of-concept, metal-containing proteins made in the Rice lab of synthetic biologist Joff Silberg are expressed within cells upon the introduction of one chemical and are functionally activated by another chemical. If the proteins have been placed in the cell, they can simply be turned on and off.
“This is not a metaphor for a switch, it is a literal electrical switch built from a protein,” Silberg said.
The proteins could facilitate next-generation bioelectronics, including complete biological circuits within cells that mimic their electronic counterparts. The possible applications include living sensors, electronically controlled metabolic pathways for chemical synthesis and active pills that sense their environment and release drugs only when needed.
“Biology is really good at sensing molecules,” said Silberg, a professor of biosciences and bioengineering. “That’s an amazing thing. Think about how complex the cell is, and how proteins evolve that can respond to a single prompt in a sea of information. We want to leverage that exquisite ability to build more elaborate biomolecules and use these to develop useful synthetic biology technologies.”
The Rice team takes advantage of those innate abilities. “Natural proteins that move electrons more or less act as wires that are always there,” said Systems, Synthetic, and Physical Biology graduate student and lead author Josh Atkinson. “If we can turn these pathways on and off, we can make cells operate more efficiently.”
Rice’s metalloprotein switches – so called for their iron content – are quick, Silberg said. Nature typically controls electron flow by using genetic mechanisms to control the production of the protein “wires.”
“It’s all transcriptional,” he said. “Even in a fast-growing E. coli bacteria, it takes many minutes. By contrast, protein switches function on a time scale of seconds.”
To make the switch – which they use in a synthetic electron transfer pathway – the researchers needed a stable protein that could be reliably split along its peptide backbone to allow for the insertion of protein fragments that complete or break the circuit. They based the switch on ferredoxin, a common iron-sulfur protein that mediates electron transfer in all the domains of life.
Atkinson built switches embedded in E. coli that can be turned on in the presence (or off in the absence) of 4-hydroxytamoxifen, an estrogen receptor modulator used to fight breast and other cancers, or by bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical used in plastics.
Page 1 of 2
Suggested Items
Un-Jammable Quantum Tech Takes Flight to Boost UK’s Resilience Against Hostile Actors
05/13/2024 | BUSINESS WIREIPC Focuses on Education and Onboarding
05/09/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineI recently spoke with Carlos Plaza, senior director of education for IPC, about expanding educational efforts in the PCB design, fabrication, and assembly segments. As Carlos explains, PCB design is a hot topic, but onboarding may be the hottest one of all.
It’s Only Common Sense: Would You Join Your Own Company?
05/06/2024 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseIn the past few years, I have heard many company runners complaining about their workforce. They tell me that the government is paying people too much money not to work, too many young people are not interested in working every day, and there is just not the work ethic there once was when they were young.
Warm Windows and Streamlined Skin Patches – IDTechEx Explores Flexible and Printed Electronics
04/26/2024 | IDTechExFlexible and printed electronics can be integrated into cars and homes to create modern aesthetics that are beneficial and easy to use. From luminous car controls to food labels that communicate the quality of food, the uses of this technology are endless and can upgrade many areas of everyday life.
Scientists Propose a New Way to Search for Dark Matter
04/02/2024 | SLAC National Accelerator LaboratoryEver since its discovery, dark matter has remained invisible to scientists, despite the launch of multiple ultra-sensitive particle detector experiments around the world over several decades.